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Dr. Harolyn Belcher Recipient of 2022 Distinguished Public Service in Healthcare Award

Dr. Harolyn Belcher Recipient of 2022 Distinguished Public Service in Healthcare Award

Baltimore, MDDr. Harolyn Belcher, Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President at Kennedy Krieger Institute, has been named the recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Public Service in Healthcare Award, which will be presented to her at Disability Rights Maryland’s (DRM) Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on Thursday, May 12, 2022.

The award honors members of the medical community who have made significant contributions in research and healthcare for people with disabilities. Throughout her noteworthy tenure at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Dr. Belcher designed and developed innovative ways to provide equitable healthcare to people with disabilities. 

Since 2015, when Dr. Belcher joined the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) as Associate Director, she has provided groundbreaking research and solutions to complex healthcare challenges for people with disabilities. 

A portrait of Dr. Harolyn Belcher.

Working with and training a generation of health professionals, Dr. Belcher has been a trailblazer in revolutionizing the quality of healthcare delivery systems to children with disabilities.

In her tireless and fruitful efforts, Dr. Belcher has substantially advanced LEND’s goal to train interdisciplinary health professionals in all aspects of neurodevelopmental and related disabilities: social environments, cultural competency, social determinants of health, systems of care delivery, and more. This work continues to create healthcare environments that can provide necessary and life-changing care for people with disabilities.

Please join us at the 2022 Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on Thursday, May 12 in honoring Dr. Belcher’s extraordinary accomplishments and contributions to the medical care of people with disabilities. Subscribe to our newsletter below to receive updates as the other awardees are announced, and to reserve tickets.

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Alice Wong, Gregg Beratan & Andrew Pulrang are the 2022 Gayle Hafner Grassroots Leadership Awardees

Alice Wong, Gregg Beratan & Andrew Pulrang are the 2022 Gayle Hafner Grassroots Leadership Awardees

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Baltimore, MDDisability rights activists Alice Wong, Gregg Beratan, and Andrew Pulrang are the 2022 recipients of the Gayle Hafner Grassroots Leadership Award which will be presented to them at Disability Rights Maryland’s (DRM) Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on Thursday, May 12, 2022.

The award’s namesake, Gayle Hafner, was a trailblazer DRM civil rights attorney whose zealous advocacy for full inclusion in every aspect of community life improved the quality of life for people with disabilities.

Established in 2015, the award honors those who have successfully brought about substantial positive change through grassroots activism for people with disabilities. Gayle’s extensive knowledge of Medicaid law enabled her to offer hope and tangible assistance to a significant number of people with disabilities so they could reside independently outside of nursing homes increasing their opportunities to live with self-determination.

In honoring Alice Wong, Gregg Beratan, and Andrew Pulrang, DRM applauds and acknowledges their lifelong commitment to building communities of care at a grassroots level to advance the rights of people with disabilities. Through their joint digital campaign, #CripTheVote, they have designed an impressive and ever-expansive network of voters and provided them with a platform to share their experiences and needs on a national political level. Their creative and innovative ideas, work, and commitment to amplifying the voices, faces, and individual narratives of people with disabilities have brought depth, dimension, and digital proximity to the disability rights revolution.

Please join us at the 2022 Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on Thursday, May 12, in honoring Alice Wong, Gregg Beratan and Andrew Pulrang for their extraordinary and groundbreaking service to people with disabilities. Subscribe to our newsletter below to receive updates as the other awardees are announced, and to reserve tickets.

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Congressman Jamie Raskin Recipient of 2022 Judith Heumann Champion of Justice Award

Congressman Raskin Recipient of 2022 Judith Heumann Champion of Justice Award

Baltimore, MD – Congressman Jamie Raskin (Maryland’s 8th District) has been named the recipient of the 2022 Judith Heumann Champion of Justice Award. The award’s namesake, Judith “Judy” Heumann, will present the award at Disability Rights Maryland’s (DRM) Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on Thursday, May 12, 2022.

The award was established in 2020 to recognize internationally renowned disability rights activist Judy Heumann, whose historic accomplishments were profiled in the Oscar-nominated Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, a documentary that was executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. Wade Henderson the inaugural recipient of the award

In honoring Congressman Raskin, DRM applauds and acknowledges his lifelong commitment to the advancement and legal protection of rights for people with disabilities at the intersection of the national struggle for equal justice. This deep commitment is evident through his life’s work, and most recently as a member of the United States Congress, where he has represented Maryland’s 8th District since 2016, and formerly as a member of the Maryland State Senate, where he represented Montgomery County from 2007 to 2016.

Through concurrent legislation supporting civil rights and liberties such as same-sex marriage, Congressman Raskin introduced and supported legislation aimed at advancing the rights of people with disabilities across many spheres including supporting voting rights and accessibility of the election process, securing funding in support of independent living, and protecting Social Security benefits of children with disabilities in foster care.

Congressman Raskin’s disability rights activism has had an exponential impact as seen in the Thomas Bloom Raskin Act, which was recently passed by the Maryland General Assembly to increase access to emergency mental health services across the state.

Please join us in honoring Congressman Raskin for his extraordinary service to people with disabilities at the 2022 Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on Thursday, May 12. Subscribe to our newsletter below to receive updates as the other awardees are announced, and to reserve tickets.

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